come the raw prawn

English

Etymology

From World War 2 military slang. Construction obscure; suggestions are:

• From come (“act the part of”) + the + raw (“naive”) + prawn (“(slang) fool”) — thus, to attempt to deceive by feigning ignorance.
• From come (“(putatively) perpetrate”) + the + raw prawn = something hard to swallow.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

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Verb

come the raw prawn (conjugates with come)

1. (Australia, informal, intransitive) To attempt to deceive or impose upon.
   • 1951, Dymphna Cusack, Florence James, 1957, Come In Spinner, page 306,

     “ […] Coupla bastards come the raw prawn over me on the last lap up from Melbourne and I done me last bob at Swy.”

   • 1968, Barrie Humphries, The wonderful World of Barry McKenzie, page 12:

     "Don't come the raw prawn! I only gave her a bit of a smack on the chops, we didn't get around to the fair dinkum article!

   • 1979, Lance Peters, The Dirty Half-Mile, page 155:

     Come on, Dimitri, don't come the raw prawn love! Four quid's the price.

   • 1995, Australia. Parliament. Senate, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).: Senate:

     — I do not suggest that the Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories, Senator Faulkner, is attempting to come the raw prawn with the Senate on these particular measures, but I do feel that he is trying to use these in an attempt to suggest to the Senate that this is an unintended consequence of the November decision.

   • 2003, Glen Conrad, Walk a Mile in My Shoes‎^[1], page 300:

     “That′s bullshit Norbert. I brought you in to get the straight dope direct from your mate the General. So don′t come the raw prawn with me, matey.”

   • 2007, Peter Yeldham, Barbed Wire and Roses, unnumbered page,

     Until this dag in a shiny new uniform comes the raw prawn and says I didn′t salute him with proper respect.